Suspension Refresh

[Skids]

Brought my 2015 to MCT Suspension in Stowmarket for a much needed 40,000 mile refresh.

Focus on the front so new front springs, oil and a service, and a service of the rear.

She's my commuter so will never go on a track day hence limiting this to a service and refresh.

[Skids]

[Skids]

Stopped for lunch at a cafe in the middle of Suffolk....what a difference.

I've clearly been riding around the deteriorating suspension for quite a few miles.

Best money you can spend on a bike!

[v8guy]

Originally Posted by Skids

Stopped for lunch at a cafe in the middle of Suffolk....what a difference.

I've clearly been riding around the deteriorating suspension for quite a few miles.

Best money you can spend on a bike!

Amen to that! Like most things that degrade over time, you just don't notice until you're reminded of how good it used to be!

[Scimitar]

Hi Skids & v8guy
I have just done 1000 miles in four days on my newly purchased 2016 VFR800X and enjoyed the ride. My suspension has not yet been set to my weight but both ends seem to be sagging about 33% of total travel.
My main observation is the pogo-stick front end. I only ride on public roads for pleasure, so probably don't need to contemplate a Nitron/Ohlins type route. But maybe a specialist tune-up service would help, even though the bike has only done 3000 miles from new ?   
What change in springs did you make?  Did you consider the K Tech SSK piston kit? 
Any suspension advice would be appreciated, based on your own experiences. Cheers.
Scim.

[Skids]

Scim

I use MCT Suspension in Stowmarket, Suffolk. They did my 1200 (new fork inners - springs, valves & oil and a Wilbers rear) all set up to my weight and riding requirements.

This time, I just wanted a refresh of some old suspension (40k miles) which I've been coping with but realised that it was not coping as well as it could. I didn't delve too deeply into what exactly they were fitting, but it's working very nicely.

Sorry I couldn't have been of more assistance.

[v8guy]

Originally Posted by Scimitar

Hi Skids & v8guy
I have just done 1000 miles in four days on my newly purchased 2016 VFR800X and enjoyed the ride. My suspension has not yet been set to my weight but both ends seem to be sagging about 33% of total travel.
My main observation is the pogo-stick front end. I only ride on public roads for pleasure, so probably don't need to contemplate a Nitron/Ohlins type route. But maybe a specialist tune-up service would help, even though the bike has only done 3000 miles from new ?   
What change in springs did you make?  Did you consider the K Tech SSK piston kit? 
Any suspension advice would be appreciated, based on your own experiences. Cheers.
Scim.

The age had nothing to do with it, for me.. the bike had only ~6k on the clock, but I found shortcomings in the suspension so I got it sorted. As per Skids' 1200F, I had the front end re-sprung and re-valved and set up for my weight and riding preferences. For the rear, the first take was to have it re-valved and re-gassed. The workshop could not find a replacement spring suitable for the 800X, so I stuck with the OEM part. Fork springs and valves are from Racetech.

The net effect was to firm it up a little bit, yet at the same time resolve the issues I had with a harsh ride under high-speed compression conditions. Traction was much improved, meaning I rarely saw the traction control kick in over roads where I would previously light it up fairly easily. I was extremely happy with this arrangement, but after a fair bit of two-up riding determined that I was lacking sufficient scope for compression/rebound adjustment in the shock. Either we eat fewer pies and travel lighter, or I buy the almost-new Nitron shock that became available from another forum user. We like pies, so I went with the Nitron.

The initial work was done by the ever-knowledgeable and generally just damned splendid PDQ Motorcycles in Taplow, just outside Maidenhead. Great folk, who sorted my TDM's suspension (quite a task!) very well, so I went straight to them with the Honda. They know their stuff and did a fantastic job. It came back to me feeling like an entirely different bike!

I highly recommend the Racetech Suspension Bible, available via Google Books as a good read before deciding what to do. Thereafter, getting the right spring/oil weight for your weight and riding preferences, and having a specialist set up the tuneables (damping, etc) at the same time should improve your experience no end.